All Colleges Change Lives
May 16th, 2016Graduation nears, and Shrop Ed’s high school seniors are celebrating! Because we’re often asked where our students enroll, this feels like the right time to share the list of admission offers our students received for fall of 2016:
Barnard C.* U. of Kentucky* Smith C.
Boston C. Lewis & Clark C. Southern Methodist U.
Brandeis U. Macalester C. Stanford U.*
Carleton C. Miami U. (OH)* St. Edwards U.
Case Western Reserve U. U. of Michigan U. of Tampa*
Centre C. U. of Mississippi U. of Texas
Champlain C.* U. of Nebraska-Lincoln* Texas Christian U.*
U. of Chicago Northeastern U. Tufts U.*
Clark U. Occidental C. U. of Utah
Clarkson U. U. of Pennsylvania* U. of Vermont*
Colby U. Princeton U.* U. of Virginia
U. of Colorado Reed C. Washington and Lee U.
Columbia U. Rensselaer Washington U.
U. of Denver* Rice U. Wellesley C.
Emory U. U. of Rochester Wesleyan C.*
Georgetown U. Rochester Institute of Tech. Worcester Polytechnic I.
Harvard U. Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech. Xavier U.
Harvey Mudd C.* U. of San Diego Yale U.*
Asterisks indicate matriculation choices; in some cases, more than one of our students will enter in the fall.
I love this list! Why? Because it reflects a wide range of campus environments, selectivity and student bodies, encompassing state flagships and Ivies, liberal arts colleges and institutes of technology. Each student applied to a carefully considered group of schools reflecting ideal matches for him/her.
The national press makes much of students who receive multiple offers from the nation’s best-known colleges. Certainly we jump for joy, too, when our students receive such news. Yet colleges in that small subset are right for very few. We feel equal joy for our students who look in other directions and find less renowned colleges just right for their interests and goals, places where they’ll succeed, thrive, establish an excellent foundation for whatever comes later in life. Wouldn’t it be nice if the press celebrated these students and their colleges in the same way!
Several weeks ago, the Washington Post published an article written by a New Hampshire college advisor about the kinds of college choices he’d like to see celebrated in the press. We’re grateful to the Shrop Ed parent who brought it to our attention and hope you’ll follow this link for some interesting reading.
Article published April 26, 2016
Written by: Valerie Strauss
Last month, Brennan Barnard, a college counselor at a private school in New Hampshire, wrote a piece on how the college admissions process for many students had become something akin to The Hunger Games. He wrote:
“In an ideal world, college preparatory education would encourage students who crave knowledge, seek community engagement, desire connection and live their values. We say we want our children to feel secure, be inspired and take risks with their curiosity. The reality of “The Hunger Games” comes closer to the truth, where students battle to survive in application pools seeming to demand perfection.”
Read more at The Washington Post >>Tagged: College, Graduation
Tuning in to Students’ Dreams
May 9th, 2016Bill Fitzsimmons, dean of admission at Harvard, delivered a lively talk to a group of educational consultants at the IECA conference in Boston last week. Fitzsimmons’s focus on providing access to the world’s most talented students, regardless of economic circumstance, is something I’ve long known and appreciated. His insight about students’ and parents’ dreams is also legendary, and his tale of a parent of a student who applied to Harvard several years ago is worth sharing.
The student was not admitted, and the parent could not accept the decision. Many letters and phone calls ensued – always from the parent to the admission office, never from the student. For quite some time, this parent’s efforts were ceaseless. Then, a pause. Three and a half years later, the parent called again … to say that the student was nearing graduation at her alternate college choice. Upon reflection, the parent had come to realize that this college was indeed the better match for her daughter. Harvard had been the parent’s dream, it turns out, and not the child’s. So often, the pressure that children feel has to do with our own aspirations, doesn’t it?
Last week’s conference also included workshops on boarding school admission, new financial aid application procedures for colleges, international student recruitment issues, applications and auditions to theater programs, and the new Coalition application. Ahead of the conference, school and college visits in the area set the stage wonderfully as I saw students learning, growing, happy at schools that are right for them. I especially enjoyed visiting with a student who has found a great fit at my own alma mater, Tufts.
Each experience at this conference reminded me to listen carefully to my advisees, to help and encourage them as they clarify and pursue their personal goals. Much is changing in college and boarding school admission. And much is changing in today’s world that our students experience. Students remain students, however, and their successes, struggles and dreams will always be at the center of our work at Shrop Ed.
Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, Boarding school, College, Ivy league
New SAT: The verdict is…
May 2nd, 2016If you haven’t heard, there is a new, redesigned SAT. Maybe you’re among those planning to take it this Saturday!
This test underwent many changes before its rollout this spring, possibly the most changes ever made to the SAT. The purpose for these adjustments is to reflect the reading and math content that students learned in high school and will learn in college. In other words, it’s a little more like the ACT than it used to be.
Some of you may have taken the first round of this exam in March, while many of you may be sitting for the exam this coming weekend. Whether you decided to take the SAT or not, we thought it might be beneficial for you to read what the first round of students taking the exam experienced.
In this article, Kelly Wallace breaks down important information taken from the Kaplan Test Prep survey given to those who completed the new SAT. We’ll look forward to hearing from Shrop Ed students about their individual testing experiences this weekend, too.
Article published: March 7, 2016
Written by: Kelly Wallace
(CNN) – If you heard a mysterious sound last weekend, it was probably the collective exhale from nearly 300,000 students across the country, relieved to be finished with the SAT — a new version that had undergone its biggest changes in a decade, maybe ever.
The new SAT test, administered for the first time on Saturday, was designed to better reflect what students are learning in high school and will be required to learn in college, according to the College Board. The changes included eliminating the vocabulary section, making the essay optional, removing the penalty for guessing, and focusing on the areas of math that matter most for college readiness, the College Board said.
Read more at CNN >>Tagged: ACT, Applications, College, SAT
Tips to Finish the School Year Strong
April 25th, 2016At this time of year, students and teachers alike may experience a bit of a slump. So few weeks are left in the school term – summer’s practically in sight – yet energy can be hard to find.
Here in Kentucky, I’ve learned that horses out for a long day’s ride seem to get re-energized when it’s time to go back to the barn. So, I’ve been wondering, how can we help students feel the same? Whether you’re in 7th grade and looking ahead to 8th, or in 12th grade and looking ahead to college, the importance of remaining focused and doing your best remains crucial.
If you follow this link, you’ll find a great set of suggestions that will give you the energy to go back to the barn, so to speak, so you’ll end your school year with a flourish:
http://thejetstreamjournal.com/3207/student-life/15-tips-to-finish-the-school-year-strong/
Tagged: Personal characteristics, Summer
